PARKING could be moved to the edges of St Peter Port with the Town piers becoming shopping hubs following feedback from islanders as part of Guernsey Tomorrow.
More than 700 islanders have been involved in the initiative so far, sharing their views on what they want for the island.
States strategic planning officer David Twigg, pictured above, was pleased so many people had become involved.
‘We wanted to put people first and see what they want for their community,’ he said.
‘This way people can say what they want to have built and where they want to put it.’
A popular view was the idea of moving the Town centre north, and using the southern part of Town for homes.
That would mean Fountain Street and the Bordage could become residential areas.
‘There is a pressing need for more housing,’ said Mr Twigg. ‘People have been keen to highlight that, but this has given us a chance to show people that there is a need for industrial and commercial land as well. It gives people a more holistic approach and look for a more integrated solution.’
Parking has also been a contentious issue.
Mr Twigg said islanders had been keen to move parking to edges of Town, freeing up the piers.
‘I’m not surprised by this,’ he said.
‘People have recognised the need to make better use of the piers,’ he said.
‘If the centre of Town does focus in the north, North Beach would become a focal point. There have been suggestions that the pier could be used for modern shopping facilities or a bus station. Parking could still take place, maybe as a multi-storey.
‘It’s all about better use of these areas.’
Article posted on 30th November, 2009 - 1.00pm
22 Article Comments
Holding onto the belief that Fountain Street, the Markets and Mill Street will one day revitalise themselves as a shopping hub has to be put to bed; it’s not going to happen.
Releasing a proportion of those shops to accommodation makes eminent sense to me.
Residents breathe life into towns; dereliction begats dereliction.
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Well Mr Twigg I think you would find islanders even keener that housing license holders were moved off after their term had expired instead of having them extended. We are quite capable of planning for ourselves.
This is quite honestly one of the most ridiculous situations.
The states of Guernsey employs a planning officer from the UK under license, presumably becuase they think that we can’t do that ourselves. And the planning officer then consults the populace, and on top of that says there is a pressing need for more housing.
Are we really this stupid.
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Well I know I am being as I spelt ‘because’ wrong and missed a question mark at the end. But exepting me r gersey people fick or summat?
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In all honesty, what would be the point in moving the parking out of town and creating more shops. They can’t fill the ones that are there at the moment as the rent’s too high. Also, what shops would they get to come over here? Most main UK chains that come over fail in no time at all.
Maybe Creasey’s could be extended a little bit more and take over the whole of town!!!!
With the increase in online sales the appeal of shopping seems to be dwindling and I think will continue to do so, so why create more businesses for a dying trade?!!!!
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Obviously I’m being thick here, but where are the acres of empty land on the edges of Town that we are supposed to move the parking to?
And move the centre North? Again, where is all this empty space to the North that Town is going to move into ?
And how is moving parking further away from the shops going to encourage people to visit them ?
And last and most importantly, with the piers turning into shopping centres, where are the Crown and Anchor stalls ( and everything else for that matter ) going to go on Liberation Day ???
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Making the Town Piers “car free”would certainly bring a breath of fresh air into Guernsey,what a lovely thought,that the piers,as when I was a boy,would be for the people to enjoy again.I notice when on our Island that there appears to be much empty accomodation in the old part of the Town,how about putting this to use to house people in after modernisation.A chart showing this empty accomodation would maybe open a few eyes!
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The idea of shopping centres on the piers appalls me. We have a beautiful historic town around an attractive harbour which draws visitors. The town exudes history yet also is clearly a functioning harbour and not a theme park. I think visitors appreciate that inherent integrity and we should not underestimate it. If we build new shops on the piers then the waterfront vista will be ruined and we will have damaged our main asset.
I agree that some of the shopping areas could be released for housing as they have been empty for a long time. But the town has a natural heart which needs to be respected. Creating an artifical hub to the north will simply mean that people care less for it.
Toby – I think that some people have ideas of building a multistorey car park in town.
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When is the erroneous drive by some people to try to turn the lovely little island of Guernsey into some kind of over-populated quasi-city going to stop…or rather, be brought to a stop?
To continue with this empirical drive to cover Guernsey with more concrete, build more accomodation units, fill them, bring in more cars, build even more units and again fill them, then bring in more cars and so on….is rapidly destroying what remaining beauty and desireable living conditions Guernsey has.
There is one sure way to control growth, improve living conditions and retain Guernsey’s beauty. I suggested it a year ago but no one commented. Why?
What I said a year ago was this. Guernsey should legislate a POPULATION CAP. Many idyllic smaller communities have already done so and it works well. Without it, Guernsey’s same old problems, but far worse, will still be around in ten/twenty years time.
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Steven – The reason so many housing licences are issued (& renewed) is simple, either: a) there aren’t enough local people qualified in specific, specialised occupations (such as Town Planners), or b) there aren’t enough locals willing to lower themselves to do certain jobs (such as hotel pot-washers).
It is not a conspiracy to keep local people out of work, it is a necessity in order to keep the islands’ economy at such a level that you and other locals can live a life in relative luxury, comfort and safety, compared to the majority of places in the UK.
You really don’t know how lucky you are to have people who come to live on your island and positively contribute to your society and the island’s upkeep and wellbeing with their time, effort and the taxes they pay.
So lets say all the non-locals leave – then what? Who will make the beds that the tourists sleep in? Who will make the bank trades that bring so much money to the island? Why not take it a step further and ban all non-locals from even coming to the island….. No tourists. No airline pilots. No ships captains. No hotel staff. Or even go the whole hog and ban things that aren’t made in the island? No cars. No construction materials. No clothes!
& before I am castigated for my comments, I am only being as ridiculous, unreasonable and unrealistic as you are.
How would you feel if the UK retaliated and banned ’Guerns’ from attending Universities here? How would you feel if every ‘Guern’ was shipped back to the island from the UK and elsewhere? No doubt you would be outraged – and rightly so. Before you are so narrow-minded in the future, just remember one thing: you need the UK and the rest of the world and awful lot more than we need you…..
PS. At least Mr. Twigg had the decency to ask locals their opinion on this matter, in order to provide something the majority of locals want – something that an awful lot of your local States members never bother doing…..
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The States had the opportunity for more parking but they filled North Beach and Salery in, that was the answer.
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I agree with using the old shops in the likes of Fountain Street for housing because as town stands at the moment it would not maintain more shops and it is a shame to see the street looks so derelict and scruffy.
Moving all parking further out of town would only make the situation worse, people today will not use shops if they have to walk too far, you only have to see how busy out of town shops are. We live in a car, private transport society and people will just not walk if they can drive to where they want to go. To make town busier you need more parking not less
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Expat80,
Guernsey already has a fairly robust approach to population. The relevant States Resolution is as follows: “States policies should be consistent with maintaining Guernsey’s population at approximately its current level.”
But I am intrigued by your final paragraph, which reads: “What I said a year ago was this: Guernsey should legislate a population cap. Many idyllic smaller communities have already done so and it works well.”
I should be pleased to obtain more information about where such population caps exist, how they operate and what their effects are. Which jurisdictions were you thinking of?
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Expat80 is a Logan 5 In the book everyone reports to a sleep shop at 21 for er……um…..’rebirth’
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WATM asks “So lets say all the non-locals leave – then what?”
I’d like to add to your list: where would my wife go?
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@WATM, I wouldn’t mind if all the non-local banking staff were deported, it’d be interesting to see if any of these “non-locals” would stay. I believe it would be a nicer place without the finance industry here.
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re: Matt Fallaize.
Thank you for you interest.
I don’t see the States ‘resolution’ for population control ( as spelled out in your post) as robust at all. In fact, the resolution contains the words ‘…should be…’ and ‘…approximately it’s current level…’, words that would seem to make the resolution unenforceable, and therefore useless.
If, instead, the resolution said ‘ ..WILL be..’ instead of ’should be’, and (say) ‘…65,000…’ instead of ‘approximately’ then you would have a real enforceable resolution. Think about it. Your current resolution is pointless.
Also, a ‘Population Cap’, as I earlier suggested, does not mean that anyone – native or non native -currently living in Guernsey would have to leave.
With a legislated and legal population cap in place, all current residents would remain as residents BUT a much tighter control of population growth on the island would be possible regarding newcomers from all parts of the world wanting to move to Guernsey.
You will find an excellent example of a community that has in place a legislated and very successful population cap in place at Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada. On the web, go to Qualicum Beach, BC. Then under ‘Bylaws’ go to Bylaw 590 schedule No 1, 2.Policies.
The community of ‘Etobicoke’ in Ontario Canada is another example of a successful population cap.
Hope this is what you are looking for.
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WATM, dear me yet another load of rubbish spouted by a bullyboy englishman. Is Gsy a better place for having the finance industry running the island. I for one would like a better balance where the wealth of many in the island is fed through to those who have nothing. We have poverty, a large drug culture with no rehab centre, poor education standards in state schools, an english culture which is beyond belief, child abusers can walk in to the island free from prosecution, immigration control does not exist in this island and I am told it is a rare thing to find a local speaking person on a sat afternoon in town. We have had a multicultural society forced upon us by the very wealthy english who despise immigrants back in their failing nation. Local people are afraid of speaking out against immigration and local jobs being lost to none locals because of the backlash they fear would happen to them.
Yes of course there are racists in all societies but protecting ones home, culture and history from destruction is the right of all locally born and should not be a classed as racism.
WATM, Spout all your want from the confines of your armchair in the decaying UK but don’t continue preaching at us in Gsy. Get your own house in order before you lecture us.Oh yes. ‘And stay where you are’………..
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Expat ….
How exactly would you strictly enforce your proposal ?
When no 65,001 is born will they be whisked away from their and deported ?
Will the oldest living island resident be euthanised ?
Or will you deport a “guest worker”, drawn at random by lottery ?
I know you said that under your system no-one would be forcred to leave – but if you are truly going to strictly enforce an exact number then I don’t see that there is any other option ……
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Tony.
Thank you for your comment. Of course, I expected to receive such understandable input as yours simply because the idea of a ‘population cap’ is seen as ’scary’, indeed visualised as a real life ‘Logans Run’ as mentioned in Neil Inder’s earlier post. However, this is not so and what I can asure you of is, where population caps are in place – such as my earlier mentioned town community of ‘Qualicum Beach’- all residents are happy about it and everything is working very well, and has been for a number of recent years. No one is being shipped out, no one is being sterilized, and no one has been, nor is going to be, euthanised.
I will try to find the time to contact Qualicum Beach to see if I can aquire further detail of how the population cap operates, at which time I will get back to you.
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Gsy milk.
Your post is most refreshing. Thank you for taking the time to compile it. Guernsey needs more stand-ups like you and I am am shocked to learn that, over time, Guernsey States allowed ‘money’ to rule Guernsey.
Reading your current vision of Guernsey…..I would say that a ‘Population Cap’ is most urgently needed. Without one, Guernsey is truly done for. Or is it already too late? Have long-time Guernsey folk buried their head in the sand for too long and in doing so allowed ‘money’ and so-called ‘multiculturism’ to overtake the island?
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I`ve never heard such claptrap in my life.
Move the shopping north and make the piers shopping hubs?
Just how is this going to be achieved and who is going to pay for this?
We have lost the pedestrian and angling use of the Eastern harbour walk, are we to loose the use of the piers as well?
Fountain Street and The Bordage are dead because there is no parking within the area.
The useless use of the Old Town Market space is a disaster so my suggestion is to make it into a multi level car park and The Old Town will get more use.
The rooms above the old Gabriel`s shops could be converted to flats, with lifts, bringing more potential customers into the town centre as could a large number of buildings in The High Street and Arcade.
Bring people to live in the town area and the smaller town businesses will follow into the shops below and around them, an excellent chance for smaller entrepenieurs to prove their excellence.
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Expat80
You are forgetting one thing – the communities that you mention are simply communities. They are not self-governing states with their own laws, or (more importantly) subject to laws as a distinct entity from the towns around them.
No-one has the legal right to live in St Sampsons. You cannot claim citizenship of St Sampsons and insist that you live there. Therefore, if the Douzaine of St Sampsons and the parishoners wanted to decide that no more houses would be built, or no properties would be let out if the population cap would be exceeded then they could, quite legally, chose to impose a population cap upon themselves. Enforcing it is another matter.
But Guernsey is not a quaint community which can do what it likes. Its citizens have a right to live here and Guernsey cannot avoid that.
On top of that, we need certain skills that can often only be found in people who come from outside the island – hence the housing licences.
In many ways, the housing licences could (and arguably do) work as a pseudo population cap, in that if the population is reaching its optimum level, the States can start closing the tap. But even then, Guernsey would be cutting off its nose to spite its face if it refused to let anybody have a licence, no matter how beneficial they would be.
So no, I do not see how a population cap is either viable, workable, legal or required.
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